Marco the Phoenix

He had lived too long to dwell on the past, but sometimes he couldn’t resist. And he lingered — on booming laughter and a warm broad hand on his shoulder, on the smell of home-cooked meals mixed with the scent of the sea, on too-warm shoulders pressing up against his, coaxing his own fire to the surface — sometimes all he could smell was smoke and all he could taste was copper in the air. 

Those days, he would seek out the horizon, and try to reassure himself that the sea was there, would always be there, a permanent fixture of his world wherever his feet landed. But even then, the sea stretched out before him as long and inscrutable as the days ahead, of which there were too many. Someday, there would be nothing left to linger over. And that, more than anything, consumed him.

—

Thatch: Put spaghetti in it.

Marco: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone except you.

Ace: Put spaghetti in it.

Marco: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone except for you two.

Izo: Put spaghetti in it.

@marcoaceweek​: One Piece - League of Legends crossover; Ace is wearing a simplified version of Lucian’s clothes (“Hight Moon” skin), and Marco is wearing Rakan’s ones (“Star Guardian” skin). This is for the “Halloween / Free Choice” prompts, and my last contribution for this year’s MarcoAce Week.